The United States, Jordan, and 28 partner nations opened the two-week Exercise Eager Lion today in Jordan, among them Canada, Greece, and the UK — but where is Israel?
Jordan is hosting Eager Lion, held September 4-15, 2022, one of the largest military exercises in the region. It is designed to exchange military expertise and improve interoperability among partner nations.
CENTCOM — the US Central Command — absorbed Israel into its area of responsibility a year ago. But there is no sign that Israel has been invited to this exercise. The question is, why not?
Israel’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to a JewishPress.com query asking whether the IAF is participating in the exercise.
Approximately 1,700 US service members, 2,200 Jordanian Armed Forces, and 591 coalition personnel from 28 other partner nations are participating or observing the multilateral military training exercise that was scheduled for 2021 but postponed due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
In fact, Israel has never been invited to this exercise, despite it being carried out right next door, hosted by a nation with which Israel has had a peace treaty for decades.
“Eager Lion is a multifaceted event that demonstrates our commitment to partnerships and responsive joint forces operating in complex environments that offer no easy victories or quick wins,” said Maj. Gen. Steven J. deMilliano, Director of Exercises and Training Directorate, United States Central Command.
“More broadly, partnerships enable militaries to grow capabilities and quickly respond to demanding crisis situations.”
Crisis situations such as the looming threat of an Iranian nuclear breakout, perhaps?
According to a US statement on the drill, Eager Lion is intended to underscore the United States’ commitment to partners in the Middle East and joint defense against hybrid threats by state and non-state actors.
Isn’t Israel, with whom America has an alleged “unbreakable bond,” supposed to be one of those “Middle East partners”?
This year Eager Lion will include a long-range bomber mission, cyber threats from fictitious adversaries, interagency communication and coordination, counterterrorism skills development, integrated air and missile defense synchronization, advancing proficiencies for maritime and border security, disaster response, and humanitarian aid.
In light of Iran’s galloping progress towards achieving a nuclear weapon of mass destruction, one would think Israel might be an important “partner” to include in such an exercise. No?
